Joe O'Brien - Green Party Joe O'Brien - Green Party

Minister Joe O’Brien welcomes announcement of new €7 million fund to enhance streetscapes and shopfronts in rural towns and villages

5th August, 2021

  • Fingal is set to receive €260,000 under the initiative

 

  • projects to include upgrade to building facades, artwork, murals, lighting, street furniture and canopies

 

  • investment designed to make rural towns and villages colourful, vibrant and attractive places

 

  • local authorities to collaborate with businesses and property owners

 

Minister Joe O’Brien has welcomed his department’s announcement of a new €7 Million Fund to support the enhancement of streetscapes and shopfronts in over 50 rural towns and villages.  Fingal is set to receive €260,000.

 

The Streetscape Enhancement Initiative will provide funding to property owners to improve the facades of their buildings.

 

The new initiative is a key part of Our Rural Future – Rural Development Policy 2021 – 2025. The policy aims make our rural towns and villages more vibrant and attractive places to live, work and visit.

 

The types of projects that could be supported include:

 

  • strategic collaboration between property owners to paint buildings or shopfronts in vibrant colours

 

  • commissioning of murals in towns and villages

 

  • upgrade or restoration of historic / traditional shopfronts

 

  • provision of street planting, shrubbery, trees and flowers boxes

 

  • illumination and lighting of architectural features

 

  • installation of canopies and street furniture

 

  • decluttering of streetscapes with removal of unnecessary signs / wires

 

Welcoming the new initiative, Minister O’Brien said:

 

“Improving streetscapes by painting buildings in vibrant colours, upgrading and restoring traditional shop-fronts and removing unnecessary clutter from main streets is proven to have a significant positive benefit to towns and villages as can be seen in towns such as Kinsale or Adare.

 

“I am delighted that Fingal is set to receive €260,000.  This new initiative is about Local Authorities thinking strategically and working in collaboration with local businesses and property owners to add colour and vibrancy to our rural towns and villages.

 

“The provision of outdoor dining has been a welcome benefit to the streetscapes of towns and villages across the country and is here to stay.  Through this fund, we want to make sure that people are looking out at vibrant, colourful and welcoming streets in our rural towns.

 

“The Streetscape Enhancement Initiative will directly support property owners to undertake work such as shop-front improvement, the painting of buildings in vibrant colours, upgrades to signage and lighting, the development of green areas and the installation of canopies and street furniture.”

 

The Streetscape Enhancement Measure will be administered by Local Authorities who will be requested to nominate at least two towns per county.  Participating towns and villages will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

 

ENDS

For further information contact johanna.walsh@oireachtas.ie

 

Notes to Editor

 

Funding distribution:

 

The bandings for the allocation of funding are based on the number of towns and villages in each county. The group of 9 Counties with the highest number of towns/villages will receive €320,000 (Band A), the next group of 9 counties will receive €260,000 (Band B) and the last group of 8 counties will receive €220,000 (Band C)

 

BAND A (€320K):

Cork, Kildare, Donegal, Limerick City & County, Meath, Galway, Clare, Tipperary, Wicklow.

 

BAND B (€260k):

Kerry, Mayo, Louth, Wexford, Fingal, Kilkenny, Offaly, Cavan, Laois.

 

BAND C (€220k):

Waterford City and County, Carlow, Leitrim, Sligo, Westmeath, Longford, Monaghan, Roscommon.